Rug washer attachment for floor polisher



4 -FIG.1

p 17, 1963 J. J. MOUGHTY ETAL, 3,401,417

RUG WASHER ATTACHMENT FOR FLOOR POLISHER Filed Sept. 15, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS JOHN I MOUGHTY FREDERIC 5. GREENE OLIVER L. ALLEN ROBERT C. LAMPE BYl/fufi d 131% THEIR ATTGQNEYS p 17, 1968 J. .1. MOUGHTY ETAL' 3,401,417

RUG WASHER ATTACHMENT FOR FLOOR POLISHER Filed Sept. 15, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS JOHN J: MOUGHTY FREDERIC 5. GREENE OLIVER L. ALLEN ROBERT C. LAMPE THEI R ATTORNEYS P 1968 J. J. MOUGHTY ETAL 3,

RUG WASHER ATTACHMENT FOR FLOOR POLISHER Filed Sept. 15, 1966 s Sheets-Sheet a FIG. 3

INVENTORS J'OHN I MOUGHTY FREDERIC $.GREENE OLIVER L. ALLEN ROBERT C. LAM PE A MA-M/ THEIR ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,401,417 RUG WASHER ATTACHMENT FOR FLOOR POLISHER John J. Moughty, Old Greenwich, Frederic S. Greene, Stamford, Oliver L. Allen, Riverside, and Robert C. Lampe, Stamford, Conn., assignors to Electrolux Corporation, 01d Greenwich, Conn., a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 15, 1966, Ser. No. 579,706 6 Claims. (CI. 1550) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An attachment for converting a floor polisher for use as a rug shampooing machine. The attachment is removably secured to the base of the floor polisher and has one or more foam generator brushes which engage an undulating surface of a rotary shampoo brush driven by the floor polisher motor. The foam generator brusl1(es) whips the shampoo liquid into foam and also distributes the foam within the base of the floor polisher.

Our invention relates to apparatus for washing or shampooing rugs, carpets, and the like, in place on a floor; and in particular to an attachment whereby a floor polisher is converted for use as a rug Washer or scrubber.

Floor polishers which can be used for rug and carpet shampooing are known, however, the known apparatus is relatively complex and expensive. Also the known attachments for converting a floor polisher for use as a rug washer are not quickly and simply applied and removed from the floor polisher. Further, known floor polishers convertible for rug washing do not effectively generate foam which results in Wetting the rug or carpet. That is, when high foaming detergents are mixed with water to provide a rug shampoo, and the shampoo is applied to the rug directly, or without sufficient agitation to create a foam, the shampoo mixture sinks into the rug and Wets the backing material. As the rug dries, discoloring material is drawn by capillary action to the surface of the rug which results in what is known as browning or staining. The rug scrubbing attachment according to this invention incorporates an agitator which, in addition, distributes the foam to the scrubbing brushes. As a result, rug wetting is prevented and the floor polisher is converted to an efiicient rug scrubber.

Therefore, an object of our invention is to provide an improved foam generator for rug shampooing apparatus.

Another object of our invention is to provide an improved rug shampooing attachment for a floor polisher which incorporates a foam generator and distributor.

Another object of our invention is to provide an improved rug shampooing attachment for a floor polisher which is simply and quickly attached and detached from a floor polisher and which is inexpensively manufactured.

The foregoing objects and advantages, and additional objects and advantages, will be apparent from the following detailed description of a presently preferred embodiment of the invention in which:

FIG. 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic partial cross-sectional exploded view of a floor polisher and attachment according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the attachment, per se;

FIG. 3 is a somewhat schematic plan view of another embodiment of the attachment according to FIG. 2 in place on a floor polisher; and

FIG. 4 is a detailed cross-sectional view taken on line 44 of FIG. 3.

A floor polisher as shown in FIG. 1 comprises a housing Within which a suitable electric motor and drive mechanism are provided for a number of brush spindles Patented Sept. 17, 1968 "ice 12, 14, all of which is well known. The housing 10 is recessed to form a Well 11 into which the brush spindles 12, 14 project. In a multibrush floor polisher, one spindle, such as 12, is driven and a belt 13 drives one or more other brush spindle(s) 14. The belt driven spindle(s) 14 are suitably journaled on the brush housing in known manner and each is provided with a suitable belt pulley. The well 11 is sub-divided by a splash plate 15 which is suitably apertured to allow the brush spindles 12 and 14 to pass through the plate 15 for access. In normal use of the floor polisher, brushes are attached to the spindles in a known manner. For use as a rug washer, the floor polishing brushes are removed and a shield 17 is attached by latching means 18 to the plate 15 and rug scrubbing or shampoo brushes 16 are attached to the spindles 12 and 14. The shield 17 incorporates a foam generator in the form of a brush 19 which communicates with a nozzle 20 through which liquid shampoo is applied to the brush 19. The nozzle 20 is attached at its other end to a shampoo container (not shown). Any one of a number of means for attaching a shampoo container and regulating the flow of shampoo to the nozzle may be utilized.

Referring now to FIG. 2, it will be seen that the shampoo shield 17 and foam generator 19 are of simple design and inexpensively manufactured. The shield 17 preferably consists of a synthetic resin material, for example, rigid vinyl formed by vacuum forming or injection molding. The foam generator brush 19 and its holder 19a are attached to the shield by cementing or in any other suitable manner.

A seat 17a, which may be formed integral with the shield 17, properly orients the foam generating brush 19 at an angle with the associated shampoo brush 16 for distributing the foam as best seen in FIG. 3.

Referring more particularly to FIGS. 3 and 4, it will be seen that the foam generating brush 19 bears against a serrated surface 21 of the shampoo brush backing member 25. The serrated surface 21 causes the bristles of the foam generating brush 19 to vibrate and as a result the liquid shampoo flowing onto the bristles from the nozzle 20 is agitated. The liquid shampoo is foamed by this agitation so that none of the liquid is passed from the nozzle 20 directly onto the floor covering or thrown by centrifugal force onto the floor Without sufficient agitation. In addition, the foam produced by the brush 19 is flung onto the surface being cleaned and also onto the next adjacent scrubbing brush 14 as indicated by the dashed lines in FIG. 3. As seen in FIG. 3, a second foam generator, generally designated 30, which is identical to the foam generator 19, may be provided for increasing the amount of foam generated and distributing it to each of the three scrubbing brushes of the particular floor polisher illustrated.

As best seen in FIG. 2, the foam generating brush 19 is positioned at an angle of approximately 16 with'the horizontal axis of the associated scrubbing brush 14, and as seen in FIG. 4, at an angle of inclination of about 12 away from the adjacent surface of the shield 17 in order that the foam is properly distributed.

In operation, the shampoo mixture is piped to the foaming brush 19 (and generator 30 when provided) in the area of contact between the foaming brush and the serrated surface 21 of the backing member 25 of the shampoo brush 16. The bristles of the foaming brush 19 are vibrated by the serrations as the brush 16 rotates, thereby agitating the shampoo mixture and generating foam. By properly positioning the foaming brush 19 relative to the associated scrubbing brush 16, the foam produced by the brush 19 is applied to the associated shampoo brush 16 and its backing member 25. Due to rotation of the shampoo brush 16, the foam is flung by centrifugal force across the path of the offset shampoo brush 12 and onto the opposite aligned shampoo brush 16 to distribute the foam and thereby provide a floor polisher with utility as an efficient rug washer.

Various modifications will be apparent from the foregoing; however therefore, it is not intended by the foregoing description and drawing to limit the appended claims to the specific details disclosed above.

What is claimed is:

1. A surface treating apparatus comprising rotatable spindle means, means for rotating said spindle means, a rotary brush member and means for securing said rotary brush member on said spindle means, said rotary brush having a backing member, said backing member having an undulated peripheral surface, a foam generator including a brush, said foam generating brush engaging said undulated surface whereby said foam generating brush is vibrated upon rotation of said rotary brush, and means for applying a liquid having foaming properties directly onto said foam generating brush.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 comprising a floor polisher said floor polisher having a base member, a plurality of said spindle means projecting outwardly from said base member, a shield member, said shield member having a plurality of openings therein for passing said spindles through said shield member; said foam generator brush being attached to said shield member adjacent at least one of said openings, an aperture in said shield member receiving said means for applying said liquid onto said foam generator brush, said foam generating brush engaging said backing member at a position for directing foam flung from said rotary brush by centrifugal force onto the next adjacent brush remote from said foam generator,

4 and means for removably connecting said shield means on said base member.

3. A rug shampooing attachment according to claim 2 wherein said undulated surface on the peripheral edge of said backing member comprises a plurality of serrations extending in the general direction of the axis of the associated brush; and said foam generator brush engaged said serrated surface at an angle with the plane of said serrations.

4. A rug shampoo attachment according to claim 3 wherein said base member comprises an inverted generally cup-shaped part defining a well, and said shield member being configured to fit within said well.

5. A rug shampoo attachment according to claim 4 wherein said floor polisher has a plurality of 3 said spindle means and associated rotary brushes in said well, said shield member having a pair of said foam generator brushes attached thereto and operatively associated with two of said three rotary brushes.

6. A rug shampooing attachment according to claim 5 wherein one of said pairs of foam generators is operatively coupled with a first rotary brush, said first rotary brush flinging foam onto a second rotary brush, and said other of said foam generator brushes being operatively coupled with said second rotary brush for directing foam onto the third of said three rotary brushes.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,121,896 2/1964 Allen et al. 15-50 EDWARD L. ROBERTS, Primary Examiner. 

